One Of The Guys
by Holy Batman At The Disco
Summary: For a teenage boy, life in The Narrows means one of two things: Death or a life of crime. Sometimes you get much more than you bargained for. Set in the Nolanverse. Rated M for language, blood, and slash later on. OC/Joker
1. The Favor

**AN: Well this is my first Batman fanfic.. I'm nervous about using an OC but I think it'll work out okay. :] Any way, this is chapter one and I know it's not long but enjoy!**

The sound of gunshots woke Gabe from his light sleep. He was surprised he'd even been able to fall asleep at all, with the neighbors drunken shouts filtering through the rotted walls of his mother's apartment. As he got older, it was getting easier to sleep through but you never really get used to it. He sat up in his dirty mattress, being careful to dodge the springs sticking out at the end. Dim moonlight shown through his cracked window and he sighed audibly. Life in The Narrows was all he'd ever known and there seemed to be no escape from it.

Giving up on sleeping anymore that night, he walked to his dusty nightstand and pulled out a pair of torn black jeans that were very slimming on his legs. He stuffed his old leather wallet into his pocket, which only contained a few measly dollars and a worn out licence that he would use if he ever had the money for a vehicle of some sort. He pulled a white v-neck over his slender figure, the tight fabric accenting his lithe muscles. He combed his dark hair slightly and grabbed his aviators from the nightstand to hide his tired eyes. Before leaving the room, he made sure his pistol was tucked safely away in its holster inside of the leather jacket he'd stolen long ago from some less fortunate upper-class folks who wandered to the wrong side of town. He justified it by telling himself they had the money to buy a new one. Things were tough here and they should have known better than to flaunt their wealth.

On his way out of his mother's one bedroom apartment, he saw his mom passed out on the couch, her various needles haphazardly hidden under the messy coffee table. He scoffed in disgust. He once beautiful, vibrant face was now hollow and resembled more of a skeleton than a woman and her arms were riddled with red marks, the veins showing through her translucent skin. She wasn't even his mother anymore in his eyes. She was just some junkie, like all the rest of the people in his life he'd once tried to depend on. Well, he was 18 now and he had himself to depend on.

He made his way down the five levels of creaking steps and started out to the street, ignoring the gaze of the homeless within the alleyway behind his apartment. He hunched his back and attempted to not call attention to himself while he walked, terrified of having to deal with being jumped. He had no idea where he was going but he needed to go somewhere, he couldn't stand his room any longer.

His black Converse against the pavement was the only noise near by, which was slightly eerie for this time of night. On a normal night at one in the morning, you could hear the dogs fighting down the street or the gunshots that had woken him earlier but now there was nothing. The wind started to pick up and he hunched over further into his jacket, his pace picking up as he continued down the street. Two dark figures made their way out of the shadows of the buildings a few hundred feet ahead and he turned quickly on his heel, thanking God for the bar that just happened to be across the street.

After pushing his way through the door, loud rock music blared in his ears and he made a bee-line through the various drunks still hanging around and sat by one of his buddies from high school, Jimmy Grey at the bar. Jimmy looked as though he'd gone a few rounds in the ring with a sledgehammer, his face was splotched with various blue and purple bruises and his head hanging down, letting his greasy blood hair fall in front of his eyes. He smelt of booze and barely noticed Gabe as he sat down beside him. Finally after a few moments, Gabe put a reassuring hand on his back and spoke in soft tones.

"Hey man, how's it going? Ya look a little roughed up.." That was the understatement of the century, he looked like shit. Jimmy lifted his head slowly, every movement seeming to blast him with a pain. He flashed Gabe a toothy smiley, revealing a few bloody gaps where he'd obviously recently lost some pearly whites.

"Yeah well.. you know how some guys get when ya don't pay up. Turns out it ain't okay to laugh in the face of thugs 'round here." He rolled his eyes and let his head fall back to the counter. Gabe laughed slightly and nodded in understanding, suddenly aware of all the scars he'd acquired within his time. The bar tender, an older man Gabe had known since he could remember walked over and looked at him questioningly.

"Ya want somethin' boy?" As rude as he sounded, the old man had a tender way about him that Gabe had always admired. He always wished he'd known his own father long enough to admire him that way..

"Yeah Bernie, I'll just have a Coke.. and.. go ahead and get me water for Jimmy here. He needs it." Gabe pulled out his wallet and frowned at the fact that he'd be spending the last of his money on it. As he began to pull it out, he heard a grunt from Bernie and looked up to see the old man shaking his head at the money. Gabe lifted his eyebrow in question.

"Keep the money, boy. It ain't no good here for just a few drinks." Gabe could have kissed the greasy old man. He had a good heart, just another thing Gabe admired about the man. He nudged Jimmy and pushed the glass of water toward him, watching as the boy gulped it down quickly and flashed Gabe a grateful smile.

"Thanks man.. It's been a hard night, I tell ya.. I needed that." He shook his head and started into his glass for a while.

"No problem, Jimmy. Anything I can do for a friend I'll do it. You just say the word." He took a swig of his Coke and sat for a few minutes in silence, just watching a fly crawl up the wall behind the bar until he'd finished his drink. He passed the glass down the bar to Bernie and said his goodbyes before making his way out the door again.

The men that had been outside were no longer anywhere in sight so Gabe let out a sigh of relief, deciding he'd spent enough time out for the night. He started down the street again and kicked a small rock that was in his path. He was pondering where he would be trying to get work tomorrow when he heard someone call out his name from behind him. He turned quickly and lowered his aviators to see Jimmy running, it was closer to limping, after him. He was panting by the time he caught up to Gabe and had to take a moment to catch his breath.

"What's the deal, man?" Gabe said quietly, not wanting to call any unwanted attention to them.

"You.. you 'member how you said- said you'd do anything fo' a friend? Well.. I gotta pretty big favor to ask of ya.." He stuttered slightly as he spoke in a frantic whisper, his eyes glancing all around.

"Yeah? What it is?" Gabe was curious now.

"Well I got someone who's payin' me to do a job.. big money man. Like 40% of what we steal." Gabe sighed loudly, not enthusiastic about the idea of getting into a job that involved robbery. Especially after his run in with the law less than half a year ago for that very charge. Jimmy quickly tried to reassure him. "Look man, this guy I know, he says the job is easy-peasy, in and out. It's not from a bank or anythin'. It's from some lower level thugs that don't know how ta hide their shit. We'll be back before supper!" He seemed so excited. Gabe scratched his head and bit his lip nervously, not sure. Jimmy looked at him with the most pathetic, lost puppy look he'd ever seen and he felt his resolve crumble.

"Yeah I guess Jimmy.. but I don't wanna be takin' the rap for this if we get caught, that's the last damn thing I need now. I'm tryna get outta this life." The more he told himself that, the more ridiculous it sounded. Jimmy let out a little squeal of happiness and slapped Gabe on the back happily.

"Yeah man! You won't regret it, I swear on my momma's grave! Just meet me down at Bernie's tomorrow night 'round 8. Bring your best robbin' clothes." He gave me a cheeky grin and a wink and turned, slithering down the street, leaving Gabe standing there all alone. What was he getting himself into?

**AN: Quite vague but it gets it started****! I hope you all enjoyed it and I really would appreciate your reviews and opinions on it! The next chapter should be up by Wednesday or so. :3 Much love!**

**~Roxy Lynn.**


	2. The Job

**AN: Alrighty, here's the next chapter everyone! Sorry about the wait with the upload, it has been an unbelievably busy week :/ Anywho, I really appreciate the reviews I've gotten so far! You guys are the best! :3 Enjoy!**

Gabe woke the next morning with heavy limbs and barely had the will to drag himself from his soiled bed. He'd barely gotten a wink of sleep after his little adventure the night before and his whole body felt as though he'd been run over by a semi. He made his way into his bathroom and attempted to wash away the sleep and soreness with a luke-warm shower in the well water of The Narrows. He briefly remembered back to the time when it had run rampant with the notorious Scarecrow's "fear toxin". He had been sick for weeks up in his room, his reality distorted with images of his deepest, darkest fears consuming him. He shivered under the water from the unpleasant memory and quickly shut the water off and stepped out to dry.

He slipped into an outfit similar to the one he'd worn the night before; torn black jeans, grey t-shirt, tattered Converse, aviators, and his leather jacket. He made sure to pack his messenger bag with extra ammunition for that evening, preparing if things didn't go according to plan. He was also sure to pack the essentials; lock picking set, water, bag of chips, pocket knife, pistol, gloves, and black hockey mask. Taking one last look around the room incase he'd forgotten anything, he slung the back over his wide shoulders and made his way down the hall.

When he got into the living room, he noticed his mother's absence and briefly worried for a moment. He'd had to deal with he disappearing acts for days at a time since he was little but it still hadn't gotten much easier. Sighing, he grabbed a stale Pop-Tart and headed out the door into the world.

Time moved sluggishly all day as he tried desperately to occupy his time before the job that night. He'd made all his stops around The Narrows, still looking for work that never seemed to be available. He was sick of being a waste of oxygen like the rest of the people in this God-forsaken town._ Like mom.._ He wanted more than anything to be worth something to someone. _Don't hold your breath, Gabe..._

He made his way down to Bernie's an hour earlier than Jimmy's requested meeting time so he could get something to eat before committing another desperate crime. He sat at the bar by himself, ordering a simple grilled cheese sandwich. He had a hard time swallowing through the lump in his throat that he'd had since making the deal with Jimmy the night before. This was that last thing he needed to be out doing if he wanted to better himself. _Should've never made that deal, ya damn idiot.._

The bell signaling the opening door rang a few minutes after he choked down his dinner and Jimmy scampered in, an adventurous gleam in his eye.

"Aye, man! You ready fo' this?" He sounded jittery, like he'd gotten high not long before and Gabe couldn't help but gulp nervously.

"Yeah. Let's just get this over with quick. I got things I gotta do, people I gotta see." He lied. Jimmy rolled his eyes and cuffed Gabe gently over the shoulder with his scrawny fist.

"Oh don't be like that.. Get excited! It's just like ol' times, man!" That idea alone was enough to make Gabe want to cry. He shook his head and grudgingly followed the hyper man out of the bar, nodding goodbye to the bartender who mock-saluted them from behind the counter.

Jimmy led him to the outskirts of The Narrows, near the docks. This area was mainly cluttered with abandoned warehouses which had once boomed in Gotham's early years but now stood as a hollow, eerie reminder of the downfall of the city. Now they were squat house for low-level criminals and hubs for drug trade. _Must be one of these places we're cleaning out.._

Gabe's assumption proved to be correct when they stopped behind one of the smaller rusted buildings, the small back door barely held in place by its ancient hinges and lock. He nearly laughed at the pathetic security. Jimmy quickly busted the lock with a pair of heavy-duty wire clippers he'd brought along and the two criminals snuck into the shadows of the abandoned building.

Once inside, they crouched low to the ground, giving their eyes a chance to adjust before moving any further. Jimmy was practically vibrating with excitement and Gabe had to smack him a few times to get him to calm down and not blow their cover. Their eyes slowly got used to the dark and revealed a narrow hallway leading into the large warehouse area which, as the moved slowly closer, appeared to be filled with what they had come for: The money.

_Could it really be so easy?_ The money looked as though it had been set out for them personally to steal, stacked in neat piles in the middle of the room which formed a small pyramid. Warning bells were going off in Gabe's head when he noticed the lack of security on the inside of the building to. There was no way this had just happened. They'd been set up and Jimmy had been to damn ignorant to realize. Just as Gabe turned his head to tell his partner in crime his revelation, he noticed the scrawny man scampering towards the money like a hungry dog.

Gabe cursed quietly to himself and yanked his pistol out of his back, rushing after his friend as back-up. He reached the pile a few seconds after Jimmy, frantically scanning the room for any sign of sneak attack. There was nothing but the breeze drifting in through the several holes in the roof.

"You damn fool, why the hell did you just rush out here? It looks like a trap.. where the hell are all the goons that should be here?" Gabe tried to keep his voice quiet as Jimmy greedily stuffed the bills into his bag.

"Calm down man, I'm sure they're out gettin' drunk or some shit. Like I told ya, my boss tol' me this is just some bullshit mob boss or some shit." Gabe shook his head in irritation and continued surveying the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until they started on their way back through the hallway and he noticed something sticking out from underneath one of the doors on the sides of the hallway.

Warily, Gabe bent down to pick up the small item which he figured was a playing card of some sort. The card was painted though with crude purples and greens and his heart sunk to the floor as he recognized the up and coming, insane criminal's calling card.

_The Joker._

That was his last thought before the room was filled with high-pitched maniacal laughter and he felt a blunt object clubbing him across the back of the skull, his vision fading immediately.

**AN: Welp, guess it wasn't such an easy peasy job after all. ;P Silly Jimmy.. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Lemme know what you liked, didn't like, maybe what you'd like to see next! :3 Your reviews are seriously what keeps me writing! The next chapter will hopefully be up before Wednesday or so but it's homecoming at my school this week so it may be delayed depending on how busy I am :/ Thank you all so much for reading! Much love!**

**~Roxy Lynn**


	3. One Of The Guys

**AN: Well this is another short update, which I apologize for. :/ I really appreciated the reviews, they got this chapter up much faster! :3 Enjoy!**

Whilst he was unconscious, Gabe dreamed. He dreamed of the times when he was younger and his mother, vibrant and beautiful back then, would take him to one of the run down parks near by. Back then, he'd never seemed to notice the trash and the graffiti covered park benches and rust-covered equipment. He just played his heart out, occasionally joining in with the other children in games of tag. In this particular dream, he was running freely across the unkept grass in the wide lot and he could vaguely hear someone calling his name. He ignored it at first, the noise just a tickle in the back of his mind. Soon it rose to a roar and he heard a clear, _"Wake up, dumb shit!"_ and was jolted awake by a firm hand connecting with his cheek.

He gasped and winced, his eyes opening slowly and attempting to adjust to the dark room he was being kept in. He attempted to bring a hand to his face to soothe the sting that had been left after the smack but quickly realized his hands were restrained behind his back and he was seated in an uncomfortable steel chair. Instinctively he began squirming in an attempt to break free and was instantly rewarded with another hard hit to the jaw, this time it was a closed fist. He cursed beneath his breath and recoiled a bit when he spit up dark red blood on the concrete floor below him.

"Ah, sleepin' beauty finally wakes. It's about damn time." A deep voice grumbled from above him and he was squinting in an a desperate attempt to see the hulking figure before him. He was still dizzy from the first two hits, making it even more a challenge to focus.

"What the fu-" His question was cut off by yet another blow, this time to the stomach, earning a groan from Gabe.

"Lemme do the talkin' small fry. You chose the wrong damn man to steal from. We worked reeeal hard for all that dough and you and your scrawny-ass friend think ya can come in here and just steal it from under our noses? Think again!" Gabe tensed up in anticipation for the next blow but it never came. It was cut off by clapping from the other side of the large room and an eerie falsetto chuckle.

"Ah whatta show, Hard-Ass! As much as I'd uh.. _love_ to stay and watch, I need this one. Our last job left us a little... _empty-handed._" Gabe's body was frozen in terror as the insanity-laced voice drifted closer. All sorts of images drifted through his head, memories of various news stories of exploding buildings and some of the largest bank heists Gotham had ever seen. The make-up stained face plastered all over. The goon - Hard-Ass, as the boss had so nicely put it - wasn't lying when he said Gabe had stolen from the wrong man. _What have I done?_

His eyes had finally adjusted to the dark and the slightly hunched over figure made its way into his vision. His dark purple suit looked as though it had seen better days, the sides of the matching dress pants singed black in some areas. He was tall, at least 6' 2" and lean. Like a lethal, mentally insane, psychopath cheetah. Gabe shivered at the sight of his greasy hair hanging back out of his face, the green dye only adding to its grotesque look. His face was the most alarming, the face that had struck fear into the hearts of every citizen of Gotham for several months now. Those raised, fleshy scars which warped his blood-red lips into a permanent lethal smile. White grease paint was pasted haphazardly all around his defined features except for his eyes. His deep green eyes were rounded with coal-black make-up of some sort, making him resemble a racoon almost. To top all of it off, the predatory gaze he had fixed on the restrained man confirmed his identity. The Joker.

Gabe hadn't even realized the man had spoken until he felt callused fingers gripping his chin and he was forced to stare right into those deadly, cold, emerald eyes.

"You know, I just _hate_ it when people don't pay attention.. a joke is only funny if you don't have to.. _repeat it._" His voice lowered to a deadly hiss as he finished and Gabe's eyes widened in terror as he shrank lower into his seat. The clown saw this and began laughing maniacally. At what, only he knew.

"W-what do you want?" Gabe was embarrassed by how much his voice resembled that of a childs. The man standing before him cocked his head to the side curiously, his eyes examining every inch of Gabe before he let out a little giggle.

"Well pal, I'm feeling mighty.. gracious today. I merely intend to offer you the position your.. _friend_ so graciously turned down. Since our last adventure we've.. well.. been a bit short-staffed," His red lips twisted slightly in a way that must've been meant as a frown but the scars distorted it, "Therefore we've been forced to outsource anddddd... I want you!" He gave Gabe a wink and slapped him heartily on the back. Gabe recoiled from the touch and finally realized what he hadn't even thought of since waking. _Shit.. Jimmy.._

"Where the hell is Jimmy? What.. what did you do?" Gabe felt fear and anger mingling within him as he bravely questioned the man before him whose eye was now twitching slightly out of irritation.

"Well uh.. lets just say he definitely got the.. _punch-line._" The Joker cackled at his lame joke and Gabe felt his face drain of all color. Jimmy had run his mouth and gotten his ass killed. _Stupid damn kid!_

"Hey, why so serious, kid? I'm positive you won't make the same mistake.. at least it would uh.. be in your best interests." His smile turned deadly again and Gabe felt himself involuntarily nodding fearfully, not wishing the same fate of his ex-partner in crime.

"Good! Well, Hard-Ass here will show you to our humble abode." And just like that, the nut case was gone out of Gabe's personal space, allowing him to breath in a quick sigh of relief before the giant who'd been silent for the last ten minutes grabbed him off the chair, not yet untying his hands. The man led him across the room and gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder, causing Gabe to nearly fall forward on his face and bellowed.

"You're one lucky runt, kid. You get to be one of the guys!" _Oh great.._

**AN: Ah.. well.. I feel like I could never do the Joker justice whilst trying to give him dialogue, plus I'm not very clever so pardon the several awful jokes xP. I'm trying though! Lemme know whatcha think! I hope to have the next chapter up by this weekend and hopefully it'll be much longer! Much love!**

**~Roxy**


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